


Dinner At Eight

by JoJo



Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Early Work, Gen, POV Female Character, POV First Person, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-18
Updated: 2013-04-18
Packaged: 2017-12-08 05:12:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/757438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoJo/pseuds/JoJo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Guess who's coming to dinner?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dinner At Eight

**Author's Note:**

> Mary Sue is alive and well and living in Bay City... oh dear, oh dear oh dear...
> 
> first posted to the Bay City Library in July 2005, one of the first pieces I ever wrote in fandom when I was still feeling my way :)

Even though I haven't done this hostess thing for a while, I think everything is going OK. I've waited for a really warm evening and it's come with bells on. It's Saturday evening, really warm, a wonderful fading Bay City twilight and they're all here. 

The guy my girlfriends think I should marry is out on the deck lighting the candles, opening the wine. He shouted out the punchline of a joke a minute ago. Someone told him to butt out -- I can imagine who that was.

It takes a lot of orchestrating, getting these guys to leave their salty snacks and beers and come outside, but we manage it. And now we're sitting down, all six of us, and the soup is steaming on the table -- fish soup, done the proper Swedish way to my grandmother's recipe. There's all kinds of things in there and it's hot and sour and delicious. I'll do my little welcome toast and then while they tackle their fish-heads I can have a good look round. That's what I like best about these evenings.

We're a mixed bunch, and I like that a lot too. It works best that way. Having all lawyers or all cops would be a drag. So I'm the only legal beagle here, and we have two cops, a doctor, a dancer and a music agent. It'll work, I think.

Ken -- yes, he's the guy that the girls think is my perfect mate -- he's sitting at the other end of the table from me. I'll get to him later. On my left hand is Ken's best friend David, and I'll get back to him too. 

So... over there is my lovely doctor friend, Ellis Munro. She's wearing what I can only describe as half a dress, but Ellis is a wonderful woman. She's a cardiologist, though you wouldn't think of it when you first clapped eyes on her. She doesn't actually look like she has much between her ears but she's the youngest cardio consult at Memorial. We met at nightschool -- we both got desperate in our jobs and signed up for life drawing. Hit jackpot too. We had a naked guy the second class. She loves this kind of thing, where she doesn't know anyone. Of course she knows that the only single guy here is being lined up for her but as Reuben knows that too they've been kidding around with it. Reuben is sitting next to her. He's a friend of Ken's, a pianist who's also a music agent. Has his own business. He's tall and thin with characterful glasses, taller even than Ken. His voice is really deep and he's quiet and smiley. I've only met him once before, when Ken and him were jamming, piano and guitar. It was pretty good stuff, but I know nothing about music really. They might do that again later if we drink enough of this wine. 

Opposite Ellis, on Ken's other side, is David's girlfriend Clem, the life and soul of any party. I don't know her that well, but whenever we've met we've had a lot of fun. Ken and Clem are thick as thieves, too. I know, I know. It ought to make me jealous, but if David isn't, why should I be? So Clem is the dancer, mostly modern stuff. Her company tours all over the States, and Europe, and she's off to the Far East soon. Doesn't she just love it, the travelling I mean. Bright as a button, fizzy as a soda. She and David niggle all the time -- they're doing it now, but it doesn't seem to mean anything bad. Yeah, you can see her grinning at him even as they gripe, and he has his hand on her thigh under the table. When they're on good form they are worth the price of admission, really. Saw her dance for the first time the other weekend. Ken came too. He loved it, but then he's the culture vulture around here. Knew all the technical stuff. 

So, to David Starsky. There he is, tackling this unfamiliar food in exactly the way you'd expect. Suspicious, like a kid offered carrots instead of candy, but game, too, fending off the insults, thanking me for cooking it, polite as ever. He's an interesting character, a stream of patter all the time, some of it really funny, a childlike soul in so many ways but then again I've seen him go from dopey to deadly in a flash, and then he can be very scary. Got a temper, but such an open heart. Cute as hell, too. All dark curls and eyes like the ocean on a sunny day. 

Detective-Sergeant with the BCPD, he was hurt really badly six months ago, critically wounded in the line of duty. Nearly died, was sick for weeks afterwards. It nearly killed Ken, too, but more of that in a minute. It makes me feel kind of teary to see David sitting here on my deck, next to Clem, when we all thought he was going to die. They had split up at the time, but they're back together now... until they split up again, I guess. Ken thinks they are so made for each other. He'd like nothing better than for it all to end happily ever after for them, but there's too much against it. They're as bad for each other as they're good. He can't stand it when she goes away, which she does for half of the year, and when she's home she can't stand the weird hours he works and she can't stand the worry. Thinks the BCPD are all on the take, anyhow, and that's just one of their battlegrounds. David doesn't think much of her dance scene, and he doesn't go to watch her. He loves food she hates. She loves movies he hates. They both secretly want the other one to be at home looking after them and though it would kill either of them to say it they're secretly proud as hell of the other one -- but it just doesn't work out. I was amazed when they got it together again after he was hurt. I mean, that day of the phone call, it was just what she dreaded, and still dreads, every day. Me, too. But that was real. And he's marked by it. I can see he's more fragile, somehow, and believe me, David Starsky is not what you'd term a fragile kind of guy. He's on meds pretty much all the time, but then again, who isn't? Looking round this table I wouldn't like to say.

Don't look now, but Ellis and Reuben are kind of leaning toward each other, sharing some tiny little private moment. That's so cool, that's what it's all about, that was our secret plan all along. Oh, damnit, but David spoiled it by making a joke. Ken's eyes rolled, but he grinned, too. He and David just locked eyes there, in that way they have, when they talk without words. Ken is such a nice guy. I'm glad here's here. Detective Kenneth Hutchinson -- they call him Hutch -- he's worked with David for years now. They are like siamese twins, invisibly joined at the hip. I know police partnerships have to be strong, but these two are something else. Tell me, just how did I end up dating a cop? There's this thing -- you know, cops and nurses, cops and paramedics, cops and lawyers. Must be because none of us have any time for social lives or something. But really... I always swore I'd break the mould when it came to it... came to serious dating, that is. But no, I fell straight in the trap... yup, met him at work. There he was, his back to me, tall and familiar even though I didn't know who he was. I guess because he's Nordic-looking, it struck a chord. We look like a regular Swedish couple -- both blond with light blue eyes. And yes, it's true. I am supposed to be a dead ringer for Agneta from Abba. Without the blue eyeshadow. 

Ken is just his gorgeous self. A wise, clever and gentle man, a cop with a conscience, complex too, full of unexpected stuff. God only knows why he's a cop, though. He should be a singer, or an artist or something. Way too soft and creative to be a cop, but he has something steely about him, too. I think the job gets under his skin, chips away at him every day, especially since David nearly died. He nearly fell apart then, though I don't think many people know that. Ken is famous for being a bit of a rock. He is for me, too, but he's so tender underneath it all, he must be bruised to pieces. 

I don't help. It's just who I am. Annaliese Bernstrom -- lawyer. Very good at my job, and I know it. I'm bright. Passed a load of exams. David is a bit in awe of me. So sweet. And I know what I want, and it isn't marriage and kids. I like to meet people and be free. Told Ken on our first date and it seemed like he understood. Said he would go for it, too. We would be together, but still free should anything else (or anyone else) occur. Doesn't work for him, though. He's a monogamist by inclination. Been married before, but it all went wrong so he says he doesn't want to do that again and it's fine for us to have this modern, open relationship thing. Tears him to bits, though. David is very suspicious. He thinks I'm going to hurt Ken bigtime and maybe he's right, but I did warn him. He didn't have to jump on board. I have to say, I've never felt the way I feel about him with anyone else. I love his non-cop side especially. His musical side, his creative side, all the things he knows which just zip over the heads of most of the people he works with, the little sad place in him from his cold childhood, his caring nature, the way he loves David. And he makes a great host.

He's giving David a sidelong look now. Worried. David does look a little tired. His amazing smile just slid off his face then, like the sun going in. Some pain, maybe. He took some terrible hits, lots of damage. Ken suffers for him. Anxiety, bad enough to need meds. Yep, there we are. Ken on panic pills, David on sleeping pills and pain medication and god knows what all else, Reuben on Prozac, Ellis on HRT... Actually, I think maybe me and Clem are the only ones not patting our pockets for the little brown bottles. She has to watch everything that goes inside, and I've managed to get this far with nothing more than the odd valium. 

OK, we're finished with the soup now, and I've been out and back with the main event. I'm kind of having a pan-European evening -- Swedish first course, French second. And Hungarian third, just in honour of David. Not that he'll be that impressed. He'd rather be Italian than a Jewish-Hungarian New Yorker. Let's see... Reuben and Ken are talking music now and Ellis is asking Clem about her training. David is over by the window, taking time out. Things get too much for him sometimes. He turns around, sees me looking at him and raises an eyebrow. I beckon him into the kitchen to help me. We don't bond enough.

We ended up talking about Ken. Can you believe it? Talking about how much David worries about _him_. They really are something else. I know he hopes I'm not going to dump on his partner yet, although he didn't quite say the words. I've no intention of dumping on him, actually. I might even love the guy. We're having a great time. I even think about going on vacations and stuff with him, which is more than I could say for anyone else. And there is no-one else at the moment, by the way. Ken himself is wise enough not to ask outright, although of course he thinks it, all the damn time. So, no-one else. Not at the moment. But David knows better than to tackle me on our relationship. He and Clem aren't exactly the ideal model, and he gets all twisted up wondering what goes on while she's touring, with all those amazing dancer guys and all the parties they have after performances. Clem is so out there as well. Who wouldn't love her? But she's a faithful little thing, I reckon, and she does love David. She's just too afraid to go the distance with him. Too afraid of losing him, especially now. He has that look about him. He may have passed all his tests and be back on the streets but there's a real vulnerability about him, like he might suddenly disappear in puff of smoke. It's hard to explain. He's marked by his injuries even though you can't see the scars.

But then again, aren't we all? Ken's Mom and Dad never gave him any love. He had a lonely, uptight childhood, that's why he so needs to be loved now. Heck, could I be more the wrong type of person for him? I don't know, maybe it's not so bad. Perhaps he doesn't need to be investing too much in romance. He's got other things going on. Like making sure his partner doesn't fall off the edge of the world. 

I better make some coffee. Reuben and Ellis are back to whispering together again, and now Clem has got up and found David. She has her arms round his waist. They're looking out from the balcony together into the starry sky. There's an ease about them. They fit. They're bumping hips together in a little private dance. Ken is probably right. They belong together. But chances are they'll be scrapping by the end of the evening, over some silly little thing. Ken and I don't argue, that's another really nice thing about us. I know he has lots of passion under his calm exterior but it comes out in the best possible sense, never negatively. He just came by and squeezed my hand, and then headed off to open another bottle of wine. Reuben and Ellis have the starry sky pose now. Clem took David off to sit down on the couch and then went off to the bathroom. He looks _very_ tired all of a sudden.

Ken comes out of the kitchen with the bottle and opener, glancing round to see who needs a top-up. Of course he notices David. I watch him go over and lay a hand on his friend's shoulder, ask a quiet question, go down on his haunches so they can talk. David is unwilling to admit it, that's he's suffering. They're talking about whether he should take any of his heavy-duty pain medication. There's a little tussle of wills and David smiles sheepishly at the end of it. Ken wins -- I told you he was steely. He goes and gets him some water. David will be alright. I've seen him like this before. He'll tough it out, ride over the cracks, be as funny as ever until the strangers are gone and then Ken and Clem between them will get him home. He's having a second wind now. Clem's back, sitting on his knee. I think I may have to get the dancing music on. We're all drunk enough and there's a nice atmosphere. I'll leave all the crap in the kitchen until tomorrow. Ken will be here to help clear up.

Now there's a nice thought.

-ends-


End file.
